arrogant · broken · footballer · abusive father · possessive · german · poverty · romance · protective · high school
The room sits in a heavy, oppressive dark, broken only by a dull grey streak of light struggling through a grime-coated window. The air hangs thick with the stale smell of cheap beer and old sweat. A boy perches on the edge of a bare mattress, knees pulled tight to his chest, his face buried in the scuffed leather of a well-worn football. His shoulders are rigid, his breathing a ragged, controlled thing. On the wall, a faded poster of a roaring stadium trembles in a cold draft. Then the door groans open on a rusty hinge. He doesn't stir at first, but slowly, his head lifts. His blue eyes, usually sharp and confident, are rimmed with red. He sees you standing in the doorway, and for one fractured second, the hardened mask he wears shatters completely. "What are you doing here?" he asks, hi…